The White Stripes have announced that they will have to postpone their Japanese tour dates because singer Jack White is suffering from an "acute vocal chord problem," according to the band. A statement on the White Stripes website reveals that White has been ordered by his doctors not to speak or sing for the next two weeks to give his chords time to heal (which would kind of make all of that howling about blue orchids pretty difficult). This isn't the first time injuries have sidelined the singer. Back in 2003 the White Stripes had to cancel a month of tour dates when he broke his finger in a car accident. The mustachioed guitar player must be feeling pretty confident about his recovery this time, as the band is still planning to play The Big Day Out Festival in Australia and New Zealand, which is set to start January 20. The Stripes hope to reschedule the brief Japanese tour, which was slated to begin January 12 in Tokyo and wrap on the 16 in Ngoya, as soon as possible. White Stripes Tour Dates: 01/20 - Aukland, New Zealand - Big Day Out 01/22 - Gold Coast, Australia - Big Day Out 01/25 - Sydney, Australia - Horden 01/26 - Sydney, Australia - Big Day Out 01/28 - Melbourne, Australia - Festival Hall 01/29 - Melbourne, Australia - Big Day Out 01/31 - Hobart, Australia - City Hall 02/03 - Adelaide, Australia - Big Day Out 02/05 - Perth, Australia - Big Day Out www.whitestripes.com
